Injured Butler wills UK ‘underdogs’ to Sweet 16

• Adam RittenbergMar 23, 2025, 10:03 PM ET Close College football press reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.MILWAUKEE– Lamont Butler doesn’t

have much in common with many front men for Kentucky teams.They’re top-10 recruits and future NBA lottery game choices.

He’s a 6-foot-2 guard who played 4 solid seasons for San Diego State before joining brand-new Kentucky coach Mark Pope in Lexington. Butler didn’t rank among ESPN’s top 100 employees in his class, a group that included 6 Kentucky potential customers. He likewise is essentially playing with one healthy arm, after hurting a shoulder in January and missing out on a total of six games. “He tweaked his ankle in the very first half, therefore he’s balanced now; he’s got no shoulder and no ankle,”Pope stated of Butler

after playing Illinois on Sunday.”Guts is real, but I keep coming back to love, male. He enjoys his guys, and the guys love him.” Butler is the face of a Kentucky team that advanced to the Sugary food 16 with an 84-75 win against the Illini

at Fiserv Online forum. Kentucky endured the first weekend of the NCAA tournament for the very first time considering that 2019– and did so in Pope’s first season as coach.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Although the third-seeded Wildcats had the more powerful seed, they were 2.5-point underdogs at

ESPN BET against

the sixth-seeded Illini, who had a considerable crowd edge while playing less than an hour’s drive from the Illinois state line.”We have actually got a great deal of underdogs on this team, individuals who have been questioned throughout our life,”stated Butler, who had 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting and added 5 helps and 3 takes in the win.” Growing up in basketball, not a great deal of us were highly hired and nothing like that.”For us to be on this stage, we wished to take the chance and simply be terrific out there.”The Wildcats were great defensively in the first half, tape-recording 8 steals and flustering Illinois NBA draft prospects Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley.They were fantastic offensively in the second half, sinking 15 of their

first 19 shots, as Koby Brea hit 6 of 8 efforts and scored 14 of his team-high 23 points.Brea recorded the most points without a turnover by a Kentucky player given that Tayshaun Prince

had 41 points against Tulsa in the second round of the 2002 tournament.Kentucky led for the last 46:16, preventing any sustained Illinois runs with plays such as Butler stealing the ball in the backcourt and feeding Amari Williams for a slam with 17:10 left. Illinois never ever had a scoring run of more than 6 points.”It remains in his soul from a deep, deep place, like,’I am going to rise up to the event for my team,'”Pope said of Butler. “I can’t remember if it was Amari or him that said it was love that assisted these guys. It’s assisted them manage all the chaos they’ve been through. However that’s a genuine thing. He likes his guys, and he wishes to perform for his guys.”Kentucky’s deepest tournament run in 6 years has featured a roster Pope called “in tatters”after Friday’s first-round win versus Troy. Guards Jaxson Robinson(wrist)and Kerr Kriisa(foot )are lost for the season with injuries, and Butler had actually not been practicing at all before the postseason.Pope explained Butler as a player who focuses on making things happen instead of house on what occurs to him.”He modified his ankle in the very first half, and so he’s well balanced now; he’s got no shoulder and no ankle,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said of Lamont Butler.” Courage is real, but I keep returning to like, male. He enjoys his guys, and the guys enjoy him.

“Patrick McDermott/Getty Images “Going into the game 2 days ago, it was a wonder that he had the ability to work the way he is, due to the fact that you lose timing and rhythm and feel, “Pope said.” You just do. That’s why you practice. “Kentucky’s Sweet 16 match in Indianapolis will be against a Tennessee opponent that the Wildcats beat two times during the routine season, including at Knoxville on Jan. 28.” We have what it takes to do special things in March,” Brea said.Illinois coach Brad Underwood suggested Kentucky will go”

as far as Lamont wishes to take them.” “I think this was Lamont Butler’s 12th NCAA tournament game,”Underwood said. “I believed he managed the ball on both sides and was incredibly efficient on the defensive side.” The Volunteers likely will be favored in the Sweet 16, and some will question how long a minimal Kentucky group can keep things rolling. Butler isn’t among them.”From the first day, our focus was winning a national championship, “Butler stated.” So any method possible, we are going to do that. The expectation here at Kentucky is to win. We have actually

got a lot of winners here, and we wish to continue that custom.”